Chinese Grand Prix preview and Betting Tips

Watch out Mercedes: Ferrari are coming for you. The Scuderia drew first blood in the title race as Sebastian Vettel claimed his first victory since 2015; Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas had to settle for minor honours in Melbourne.

It’s next stop China on the Formula 1 roadshow, and Betsafe have teamed up with Johnny Herbert and Planet F1 to bring you a comprehensive guide ahead of the second round.

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Vettel victorious

Now that was a long time coming. After a winless campaign in 2016, Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari claimed their first victory since Singapore in 2015, and did so in some style, too.

Following a dominant start to practice and landing pole position, Lewis Hamilton was a clear favourite to pick up where Mercedes left off last season – but a resurgent Prancing Horse had other ideas.

The Brit was off to an absolute flier when the lights went out for the first time this season and soon opened an advantage over the chasing Ferrari.

In previous years, we would have seen the Silver Arrows shoot off into the distance and record yet another comfortable win. But this year it was Ferrari who justified the pre-season hype and delivered an easy victory, with Vettel finishing almost 10 seconds clear of Hamilton.

The race-defining moment came on Lap 17. Leader Hamilton said he was left with no choice other than to pit early after struggling for grip on his ultrasoft tyres, yet, when he re-emerged, he found himself stuck behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and lost valuable time as a result.

Meanwhile, Vettel completed a longer first stint, building up enough of a gap to come back out on track ahead of Hamilton five laps later.

When Hamilton did eventually pass Verstappen, he simply had no answer to Vettel in a lightning-quick Ferrari and had to turn his attention to defending P2 from team-mate Bottas, who was improving with every lap on his first appearance for Mercedes.

Kimi Raikkonen posted the fastest lap late on for Ferrari before finishing fourth, but that does not tell the full story as he struggled to get into any sort of rhythm at Albert Park.

Verstappen was finally able to get a tune out of his Red Bull and was close to catching the Finn. However, it was a race to forget for team-mate and home favourite Daniel Ricciardo, who started late after suffering a sensor issue on his way to the grid and retired altogether by Lap 30.

Felipe Massa, who came out of a very short-lived retirement in the off-season, finished an eye-catching P6, while there were double-points finishes for Force India and Toro Rosso in what promises to be a very competitive midfield battle.

Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber’s Antonio Giovinazzi – thrown in at the deep end following Pascal Wehrlein’s late withdrawal – and McLaren’s Stoffel Vandoorne were the only other finishers.

Fellow McLaren driver Fernando Alonso was defying all expectation in his troubled MCL32. After spending the majority of the race running in the top 10, he was forced to retire in the latter stages.

It will only be a very small crumb of comfort that McLaren were able to get one car home safely. The double DNF actually went the way of Haas, a rapid decline after qualifying as the fourth-fastest team on the grid.

Debutant Lance Stroll, not the most popular driver given his place with Williams has been funded by his billionaire father, also failed to finish. But, unlike previous occasions, his retirement from the action was through no fault of his own this time.

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What to expect in Shanghai

Vettel had barely passed the chequered flag before Mercedes boss Toto Wolff was promising an immediate response to Ferrari’s win, while Hamilton said his desire to win the title again has “more than doubled”.

If Ferrari do emerge as a genuine threat this year, then that may bring out the best of Mercedes to ensure that they remain as the top dogs in Formula 1.

Red Bull struggled to keep on the tails of the leading duo in Australia and you would also expect to see an improvement from them, too, especially as they are the team expected to benefit most from the new aerodynamic regulations.

The Shanghai International Circuit should offer plenty of encouragement to the likes of Red Bull, with more opportunities to overtake than the very demanding Albert Park.

Further down the field, McLaren-Honda’s first priority will be to get both cars home in China, but do not expect them to be competitive any time soon despite the very minor improvement from Winter Testing.

Shanghai International Circuit

Last year’s Chinese Grand Prix saw a record amount of overtakes and only a quick glance of the track layout is needed to know why.

The drivers are able to go flat out for almost 1.4km between Turns 13 and 14, acting as a sharp contrast to the long and winding corners that precede it.

There is a huge emphasis on positioning the car dead right at Turn 1 or else you will be quite simply making up for lost time throughout the rest of the lap. The first three corners resemble a tightly-coiled snake before Turn 6, a right-hander with a quirky kink, provides the first real moment of excitement.

Turns 11 to 13 act as a mirror image of the opening three corners, before drivers are finally able to let their hair down on the iconic straight.

Then it is past the grandstands, which are gradually filling year upon year after China was first introduced to the calendar in 2004, before heading down the pit lane straight.

There will be 56 laps of the 5.4km circuit, with the in-race lap record set by Michael Schumacher in the inaugural event 13 years ago: a 1:32.338.

Previous winners and track suitability

Hamilton is king of the castle in China with four career victories to his name. However, he will be praying for better luck this time after having to start at the very back of the grid here 12 months ago due to reliability problems that hindered his title challenge in 2016.

Nico Rosberg, who now watches the races from the comfort of his own sofa in Monaco, emerged victorious last year and provided Mercedes with one of four total victories for the constructor – the same number as their rivals Ferrari, who won three of the first four editions of the race.

Raikkonen and Vettel have both tasted success here in 2007 and 2009 respectively, while Alonso is a two-time winner at the circuit back in his Renault and Ferrari days.

McLaren are just behind Mercedes and Ferrari with three victories overall, but a fourth win this year is only going to happen if they are allowed to strap a rocket to their car.

Hamilton is 2.35 favourite to get back to winning ways in China, while Vettel looks to be the better value at this stage as the 2.80 second favourite.

If there is to be a sudden revival from Red Bull, then Ricciardo may give you a better run for your money at 26.00 as opposed to Verstappen at 21.00.

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